Hands-On Activities

Rainforest Crafts for Kindergarten: Make an Easy Paper Plate Monkey

September 9, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Rainforest crafts for kindergarten encourages creativity, fosters imagination, and strengthens fine motor skills. Crafts are part of kindergarten homeschool curriculum.

And learning about the rainforest with a unit study approach is one of the best ways to teach kindergarten aged children.

Rainforest crafts for kindergarteners introduces young children to one of the most important ecosystems in the world.

Rainforest Crafts for Kindergarten: Make an Easy Paper Plate Monkey

And a fun paper plate monkey craft encourages young children to understand the diversity of the rainforest.

Not only can you help your child understand the difference between plants and animals, but your child can use their sense of hearing.

Howler Monkey Facts

First, help your child know how the animals of the rainforest depend on the trees (canopy) and even the understory (layer of vegetation under the canopy) to survive.

The understory is where tree trunks, vines, and bushes grow. Animals who live here in this section can climb very well.

But the emergent layer or the layer above the canopy is bright and sunny and animals with good balance like howler monkeys live here.

Then, look at a few facts about the howler monkeys.

Howler monkeys are one of the loudest animals in the rainforest.
Their howls sound like a strong wind blowing through a tunnel. Have you child stand up and see how loud he or she can howl. Watch the video above and listen to the male howler monkey.
Monkeys live in the trees and eat only vegetation like fruit and flowers.

However, more than just the howler monkey makes its home in the Amazon Rainforest.

What Monkeys Live in the Amazon Rainforest

Squirrel monkeys also live there and are very intelligent animals.

Squirrel Monkey Facts

Look at a few fun facts about squirrel monkeys to share with your child.

They are not the same color all over which makes it harder for predators to see.
Long tails are used for balance.
Also, they have hands with thumbs and can grip branches and food.
Squirrel Monkeys live in large groups like 100 in a group and this way they can warn each other of predators.

However, besides the howler monkey and squirrel monkey there are many species which live in the rainforest.

Some other monkeys are

Pygmy marmoset
Gray woolly
Emperor tamarin
Peruvian spider
Dusky titi

Your child will love the book Fourteen Monkeys: A Rain Forest Rhyme.

In this book there is not only rhyming language to share with your child but it about the Manú National Park in Peru where an amazing fourteen different species of monkeys live together.

Add in some sweet lovable friends, and you can study the rainforest a couple of days or even extend it to a week.

Make a Rainforest Paper Plate Monkey

Next encourage your child to make this easy rainforest paper plate monkey.

We simply followed the instructions at the adorable paper plate monkey at Easy Peasy and Fun.

Look at this list of things we used.

two paper plates
beige paper
glue
scissors
pencil
black marker

This was such a fun and easy rainforest activity. We traced Mr. MunchKing’s hands on light brown paper.

Then we pained the paper plates.

And cut out the legs, arms and face on lighter paper we already had.

Following the instructions for the craft on Easy Peasy and Fun we outlined a face.

We cut out the ears and tails separately and glued on.

Mr. Munchking loved his craft.

More Rainforest Crafts

If you’re looking for more rainforest crafts for kindergarten, you’ll love my huge Amazon Rainforest Unit Study and Lapbooks.

Also look at:

Look at these other posts for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

How to Make a Kids Fun Stained Glass Fall Leaves Craft

September 8, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your kids will love this fun stained glass fall leaves craft. Too, you can add this activity to my huge fall unit study.

Whether you live in a place where the trees fall leaves will soon be exploding with color or not this is a great time of year to learn about leaves.

Kids want to know why and how they change color and why other areas don’t have as much color.

How to Make a Kids Fun Stained Glass Fall Leaves Craft

Some of us stay green year round but we can still appreciate the red, gold, and brown spectacular through pictures or even vacations where we venture north to see it.

Fall is still a great time to study leaves and trees.

Dollar Tree Stained Glass Materials

You can turn a simple leaf appreciation into a mini unit study with this stained leaf fall craft and a few fun hands-on ideas.

I have loads of ideas for you to get started with a unit study.

As always, I like to start a unit study by gathering up some books on the topic at hand, from our own collection, the library, or of course Amazon.

And one of the best parts besides learning about leaves is that the craft materials are all at Dollar Tree for just a few bucks.

Then look at some fun ideas for studying about leaves.

Hands-on Leaf Activities

Go on a leaf hunt and find as many leaves as you can, use books or the Leaf Snap App to help identify them.
Go on a nature walk around the neighborhood, your property, local, or state park to look for as many species as you can find.
For older children you can have them memorize Robert Frost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay or use it for copywork.
Make leaf rubbings by putting fall leaves under paper and rubbing across it with the side of a crayon.
Make a list of trees and have your child sort them by the two main types- Deciduous and Coniferous.
Label the parts of a leaf.
Leaf Man

And older children can draw and label a leaf cell.

This fall craft is great for preschool through high school.

Kids Stained Glass Fall Leaves Craft

You will get a wide variety of looks from the different skill sets but they all come out looking so pretty and you will cherish their craft.

Look at this list of supplies. You will need:

A glass vase, bowl, mug, or candle holder.
Fall colored craft paints
Black craft paint
White school glue
Paintbrushes
Small containers for each paint color
Battery operated tea lights

Put about a teaspoon of glue and half that of all the chosen colors into each of your containers.

Stir in just a few drops of water to thin it.

You don’t want it watery just a little thinner to make it spread more easily.

Clean the glass container well with glass cleaner to remove any dirt or oils from your hands, be sure to dry it completely.

Paint splotches of color all over the glass until its completely filled. You don’t want any empty spaces.

If you want to make it look like leaves go ahead, but it is not necessary.

Just do them different shapes and sizes for variety.

We will sharpen up those edges later.

Once the entire surface is painted in color allow it to dry completely.

It really only needs about an hour.

Here is a look at mine completely dry and if you add less paint to the first step you will get an even more translucent look.

Then, you will need a half empty bottle of glue. Dump some out into something with a lid if you need to.

Add some black craft paint into the bottle and shake until combined and it is a nice black color.

This next part is really fun and makes the design come together.

Open the lid of the glue only halfway so that you get a finer stream of glue.

Have your child trace the blobs of paint outlining everything to clean up the edges and create the leaded look of stained glass.

Other Fall Unit Study Resources

Next, add details like the veins, the stem, and the midrib (the line up the middle).

Let this part dry completely.

Insert a tealight and its ready to glow!

You can enjoy this fall craft on it’s own or make it part of a mini unit study. Let me know if you did and share your creation with me.

Kids Fun Hands-on Apple Unit Make Dried Apple Slices

September 7, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Nothing speaks fall or September more than a fun hands-on apple unit and making dried apples. Add this hands-on activity to my fall unit apple study.

Incorporating cooking into your homeschool is an easy and fun way to include many subjects naturally into the day.

There is so much learning to be had in even the most simple of recipe.

Kids Fun Hands-on Apple Unit Make Dried Apple Slices

For fall I thought I would share a delicious dried apple ring recipe.

What is so great about teaching kids to cook? First, they learn to read and follow directions.

Also, they get a lesson in fractions.

Cooking is a Life Skill

Too, cooking boosts a child’s confidence and encourages picky eaters to try something new.

Besides, learning how to cook teaches a child about nutrition.

And introduces science through the various reactions that cooking produces and can strengthen family bonds, teaches responsibility and builds attention skills.

Cooking can be done with everyone from toddlers to high schoolers making it a great family or co-op activity.

So aside from those benefits this recipe opens the door to an opportunity to talk and learn about apples.

It makes a great hands-on start up to a mini apple unit.

Add in some great books, a little apple math, and a few other activities and you have yourself a great mini unit study.

Apple Study Resources

Julia Rothmans anatomy books are great for creating your own unit study.

And both of these books, Food Anatomy and Farm Anatomy, have a great little section on apples.

I highly recommend you add them to your library.

Not only are they pretty reference books but great snippets of information.

Who Was books also make a great addition for reading aloud or independent reading.

Who Was Johnny Appleseed is perfect for this study.

Unit Study Ideas for Apples

Then, here more ideas for a unit study besides the ones on my apple unit study page.

Art Apple Idea.

For art create a picture of a cross section of an apple with watercolor or chalk.

Have your child label the parts of the apple. Toddlers and preschoolers can use half an apple to stamp with paint.

Math Apple Idea.

Use fresh apples to weigh, measure, test density, cut them up and work on fractions, compare apple prices in the grocery flier.

Science Apple Idea.

Make a volcano in a cored out apple with baking soda and vinegar.

Test the ability of various liquids to keep apples from turning brown and test your five senses by using them to sample apples.

Geography/History Apple Idea.

Learn about Johnny Appleseed, research where the most apples are grown and mark it on a print out map.

How to Make Easy Dried Apple Slices

Next, let’s make this fun hands-on activity.

If you want to use your dried apple slices for a craft like potpourri, a dried apple garland or wreath instead of eating, simply leave the sugar out of the mixture.

Once dried you can add fragrance or essential oils to them to make the scent stronger.

Choose your favorite variety but some of the best apples for baking are :

Gala
Honeycrisp
Pink Lady
Fuji
Red or Green Delicious

You will need:

4 medium-large apples
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons lemon juice ( about 1 lemons worth)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225℉. First decide if you want your peel on.

If not go ahead and peel your apples. We left ours on for all the additional nutrients.

Slice your apples very thinly.

You can do this with a knife or a mandolin which is a wonderful kitchen gadget to have for slicing fruits and veggies thin and uniform.

The easiest and safest way for kids to core apples is by slicing them then laying them out on a cutting board and using a lid from a water or soda bottle to cut out the center.

Stir together cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.

Place your apple slices in a gallon ziplock bag and pour the mixture over the top.

Shake the bag and move the apples around gently until they are completely coated in the mixture.

Place apples in a single layer on baking sheets, 4 apples should take up about 2 large baking sheets, maybe 3.

Bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours until the edges curl up and they are lightly browned. You want pretty much all the moisture out of them.

Store in an airtight container. They are good for up to a week on the counter.

Other Fall Unit Study Resources

Geronimo Stilton Field Trip to Niagara Falls Summary And Fun Corn Craft

September 3, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, for the book Geronimo Stilton field trip to Niagara Falls summary, we’re making a fun flint corn craft. Your kids will love book number 24 Field Trip to Niagara Falls of the Geronimo Stilton books series.

We are back on another adventure with the globetrotting time traveling fabumouse Geronimo Stilton.

Geronimo Stilton Field Trip to Niagara Falls Summary And Fun Corn Craft

While we’re visiting Niagara Falls, we are learning about camping, the waterfall, various trees and animals of the area, and the Native Americans that called it home.

The book Field Trip to Niagara Falls is book 24 and we loved it.

These books pack a lot of great information into fun and easy to read stories that will get the most reluctant reader excited to see what Geronimo Stilton is up to.

In addition, this book has many ideas for unit studies.

But today we are going to learn more about the Attawandaron tribe.

Geronimo Stilton Field Trip to Niagara Falls Summary

The Attawandaron tribe lived on the shores of the lakes Erie, Huron, and Ontario making the area around the falls their home.

And the Attawandaron tribe was part of the Neutral Confederacy of the Iroquois people.

They were a semi-nomadic group who lived in bark-covered longhouses.

Also, The Maid of the Mist is a legend believed to have come from the Iroquois people and Geronimo does a lovely job of relaying the story.

Next, we’re making a hands-on fall craft that not only provides the perfect set up to teach your child about indigenous people of the area but also makes a beautiful fall decoration.

Types of Corn

While researching we also discovered that Indian corn is now commonly called flint corn or ornamental corn.

It’s been said that these colorful ears are named after the indigenous people of North America, but that is folklore.

It is still okay to call it Indian corn.

Many present day Native Americans call it that.

It was used for food rather than decoration the way we use it now.

Give your child a few other activities to turn this book, Field Trip to Niagara Falls, into a mini unit study.

Geronimo Stilton Niagara Falls Unit Study Ideas

Research the difference between Indian (flint) corn and regular corn.
Have your child identify on a map where the Attawandaron are thought to have lived.
Paint a watercolor picture of Niagara Falls.
Create a diorama of the falls with Safari LTD Native Americans
A lot of the book covers camping near Niagara Falls, have your child list all the things you would need if you were going on a camping trip.
Use the Leaf Snap app to identify trees in your yard.

And a lot of the book covers camping near Niagara Falls.

Have your child list all the things you would need if you were going on a camping trip.

How to Make an Indian Corn Fall Craft

The book has a great section on Native Americans and the area they lived in and covered.

It gives your child a great base for the craft.

List of materials needed for the Indian corn fall craft

54 small wood beads,16 or 20 mm
3 pipe cleaners
Raffia
Craft paint/brushes
Paper plate
Hot glue gun/sticks

First, twist together 3 pipe cleaners directly in the center and fan them out evenly. Set aside.

Add orange, yellow, and red craft paint to a paper plate or bowls. Add a little water to thin it and stir well.

If you want darker colors add less water.

And if you want more of a wash like my example add more water to thin it out more. This will create a light stained look.

Add ⅓ of the beads to each plate and roll around to coat completely.

I left 12 of my beads unpainted to give it a fourth color.

Transfer to a paper towel to dry. Allow to dry completely.

Once dry, your child can begin adding the beads to the pipe cleaner in any pattern they like or no pattern at all.

Each half holds about 9-10 beads of this size, leaving ½” to 1” unbeaded at the top of each.

Once all your stems are filled, bend them up and twist the ends together securely.

Adjust and bend to make it full and round.

Grab a chunk of long raffia and fold it in half.

This will become the husk.

Lay your corn over it to measure how much space it takes up and knot just above the corn.

Add some hot glue to the raffia and press the corn into place.

Tuck the twisted pipe cleaner tip into the knot as much as you can.

Pull some around to the sides and glue it as well. Trim the top if you like.

You could also just go with fall colored pony beads and feel to make it a bit simpler and save a few steps.

But I like the look of these wood beads, don’t you?

Other Geronimo Stilton Resources

This Indian corn craft gives your child a chance to express their creativity, work on fine motor skills, and keeps hands busy while they listen to a read aloud, audiobook, or add it to your unit study.

It makes a lovely decoration for home doesn’t it?

You can prop it up on your desk to add a little fall flair or decorate your table with a whole bundle.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

August 31, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re wanting fall crafts for middle school for a fall unit study you’ll love this project. And look on my page homeschool middle school for more tips.

It may not quite be fall but pumpkin season seems to already be in full swing.

The stores have already begun to release all their fabulous pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavored goodies.

And the craft stores have had their decor out since summer.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

So, it feels like a great time to begin working pumpkins into a fall unit study.

This art project adds some fun decor for the house which also works in fine motor skills and practical living skills (learning to use a hot glue gun, hammer and nails).

This is a fantastic activity for middle schoolers to do completely on their own with a bit of instruction.

But this activity can also be done by kids in upper elementary with a little more help.

Too, I was able to get all the supplies from Dollar Tree making this project a grand total of $3.75.

And I barely put a dent in the yarn and have plenty of nails left.

If you have any of the items lying around already you can make yours cheaper or even free.

Pumpkin Unit Study Ideas

You can easily turn this into more than just an art project by giving your middle schooler a few other activities to do before or after completing their string pumpkin art.

Research the different varieties of pumpkin.
List 10 pumpkin facts.
Complete the journal prompt – One night while I was walking in the pumpkin patch . . .
Research a recipe for pumpkin pie and bake it.
Find out which state grows the most pumpkins.
Find out how Native Americans cooked pumpkin compared to the colonists.
Weigh, measure, and compare a variety of pumpkins.
Make a pumpkin catapult – large or small.

I know those ideas will get you started and use the beautiful book Farm Anatomy as a science reference to learn about pumpkins.

Here is a beautiful page from Farm Anatomy to research the different varieties of squash.

Pumpkin Art Supplies

Next, look at the easy supplies you need to make this diy string pumpkin art.

½” to ¾” nails
Orange yarn
Green yarn
Small piece of stick
Glue gun/sticks
Scrap board
Hammer

Again, some of these supplies you may already have.

Here is how you make your own pumpkin string art:

DIY Pumpkin String Art

First, choose whether to make your pumpkin art horizontal or vertical.

This depends on your piece of scrap wood.

Then lightly draw out the shape with a pencil.

This piece of wood was in the craft section at Dollar Tree and they have several sizes and shapes to choose from.

Once you are satisfied with the general shape of the pumpkin you can begin to place the nails.

You can either guesstimate the space as you go or make little dots that are roughly the same distance all the way around.

You know where you will start and end with the nails when you do it this way.

Tap the nails into place, knocking them in about halfway because you want them secure.

Continue all the way around until you have the outline of your pumpkin completed.

Knot one end of the orange yarn around one of the nails.

Then wrap it all the way around the outside of the nails to make an outline.

Your child can do this once or twice to create a thicker outline.

This next part is fun and easy.

We are going to fill in the pumpkin.

So all you have to do is crisscross vertically and horizontally around the pumpkin until you have filled it in completely.

Each nail should allow for the yarn to wrap around at least 5-6 times.

Tie the end of the yarn around a nail and cut off the excess.

Press your yarn down so that it is against the wood to show your nail heads.

This adds more texture and contrast to your art piece.

Once your pumpkin is filled in you can add your details like the vine.

Wrap green yarn once around the top center nail head.

And then twist it around the top and sides of the pumpkin.

Secure it down at the loops with a bit of hot glue.

Hot glue a small piece of a stick/limb from the yard to the top to make the stem.

You could also use a wine cork piece or another small bit of scrap wood.

To make a hanger, flip your piece over.

And hot glue a small length of yarn to either corner.

Make several of these to hang around the house for fall.

Also, this makes a great family night or co-op activity. Start with pumpkin and build your ideas out from there.

Other Fall Unit Study Resources

Look at some of these other fall unit study activities:

This was so fun to create. You’re ready to ring in the fall season.

I guarantee you and your kids are going to want to come up with more shapes to make for all the seasons and favorite themes.

Don’t forget to check at Dollar Tree. They carry a ton of yarn and wood pieces in the craft section now.

Hands-On Activities

Rainforest Crafts for Kindergarten: Make an Easy Paper Plate Monkey

Howler Monkey Facts

What Monkeys Live in the Amazon Rainforest

Make a Rainforest Paper Plate Monkey

More Rainforest Crafts

Look at these other posts for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

How to Make a Kids Fun Stained Glass Fall Leaves Craft

Dollar Tree Stained Glass Materials

Hands-on Leaf Activities

Kids Stained Glass Fall Leaves Craft

Other Fall Unit Study Resources

Kids Fun Hands-on Apple Unit Make Dried Apple Slices

Cooking is a Life Skill

Apple Study Resources